Multiple shootings rock cities in US
At least 17 people have died and many injured in shooting incidents in several US cities in the last couple of days
MILWAUKEE: Multiple shooting incidents were reported from the US cities of Milwaukee, Houston, California and Chicago, on Sunday.
This comes after a white gunman killed 10 people and wounded three others - most of them Black - in a “racially motivated violent extremist” shooting in Buffalo city in the New York state on Saturday.
Three shot and killed in Milwaukee
Milwaukee police on Sunday were investigating three separate overnight shootings in which a 17-year-old boy and two men in their 20s died.
The shootings came a night after a night of violence in which 21 people were shot and wounded in three other attacks near the Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee as the Bucks were taking on the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of their NBA playoffs series.
2 dead, 3 hospitalised in Houston shooting
Two people were killed and three more were taken to a hospital with injuries after a shooting on Sunday at a bustling Houston flea market, authorities said.
The shooting at the open-air market arose from an “altercation” that involved at least two guns and all five of the people, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. He said no “innocent bystanders” were injured.
Investigators believe one of the people hospitalised was among those who opened fire and two more suspected shooters were detained at the scene, a sheriff’s deputy told KTRK-TV. Thousands of people were shopping at the market 22 kilometres north of Houston’s downtown when the shooting began around 1pm local time on Sunday, Gonzalez said on Twitter.
The sheriff said multiple shots were fired and that deputies recovered two pistols from the scene. Authorities did not immediately provide further information about what led to the shooting but said all the people involved were men in there 20s who appeared to know each other.
One dead, four injured in Calif church shooting
One person was dead and four others in critical condition after a shooting at a church near Los Angeles, law enforcement said on Sunday.
Shortly before 1.30pm local time, parishioners were attending a banquet following a morning service at Geneva Presbyterian Church when the gunman began his rampage, authorities said.
There were 30 to 40 people inside the building in Laguna Woods, about 70 kilometres southeast of Los Angeles.
The churchgoers detained the shooter and “hogtied his legs with an extension cord and confiscated at least two weapons” before officers arrived at the scene to apprehend and arrest him, Orange County Undersheriff Jeff Hallock told a press conference.
“That group of churchgoers displayed what we believe is exceptional heroism, and bravery,” Hallock said. “They undoubtedly prevented additional injuries and fatalities.”
“One person is confirmed deceased at the scene,” Hallock said. “Four others are critical and one other victim sustained minor injuries.”
The victims were all of Taiwanese descent, Taipei’s foreign ministry said, adding that it had “asked our representative office to express our most sincere and deepest condolences to those killed or injured in the shooting and their families.”
According to the sheriff’s department, the victims were aged between 66 and 92.
Investigators were still searching for a motive, Hallock said, adding that the alleged gunman, who was not injured during the incident, was believed to be an Asian male in his 60s.
“The man is not believed to live in the area and investigators are working to determine his city of residence and whether he has any connections to the church or its congregants,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement.
The office of California Governor Gavin Newsom said it was working with local officials to monitor the situation.
“No one should have to fear going to their place of worship. Our thoughts are with the victims,” the office tweeted.
Teen charged in fatal shooting in Chicago
A 17-year-old boy has been charged with second-degree murder after a 16-year-old boy was fatally shot near “The Bean” sculpture in downtown Chicago’s Millennium Park, which is among the city’s most popular tourist attractions.
The 17-year-old, who was taken into custody following Saturday evening’s shooting, also faces charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated battery, police announced on Sunday night.